Cloudflare Error 1010: How to Identify and Fix It Quickly

Cloudflare is an American business specializing in cybersecurity, reverse proxies, DNS services and domain registration, content delivery, and wide area networks. In other words, it’s a massive player in computer networking.

Since it’s everywhere, you may often encounter Cloudflare errors that restrict website access. One of those is error 1010, and here’s what you need to know about it.

What Is Cloudflare Error 1010?

Cloudflare error 1010 is a code that this service uses to protect websites from suspicious traffic. Often called a “Browser Challenge Error,” it states that the website’s owner has denied you access to their site based on the browser’s signature and traffic inspection.

Cloudflare uses several methods to identify and block suspicious traffic. It deploys a Web Application Firewall (WAF) that looks for malicious code that resembles cyberattacks, like cross-site scripting . You may also trigger error 1010 by sending too many HTTP requests , which gives away web scraping activities. It also considers IP reputation and deploys behavioral analysis to broaden the detection perimeter.

What Are the Common Causes of Cloudflare Error 1010?

The common causes of this error are directly related to the traffic between your browser and the website. Very often, it is a result of poorly optimized web scraping but can also result from cyberattacks and, in some cases, unnecessarily strict website owners’ cybersecurity setups.

Starting with web scraping, you may be blocked due to too many request rates , which means the website identified you as a bot. Simultaneously, you may have a suspicious user-agent string that gives away the fact that you are using proxies. If you’re web scraping with a headless browser that cannot execute JavaScript to provide sufficient anonymity level, you will also be blocked.

Pay close attention to your IP address pool. An IP address that has been flagged for careless web scraping can produce this error. That’s why keeping a bunch of residential proxies that regularly add high trust score IPs can save you a lot of trouble.

How to Diagnose Cloudflare Error 1010?

It’s hard to miss the error code 1010 because it will be displayed in front of your screen if you are blocked from visiting the selected website. Take a look at the screenshot below that represents this issue.

Website owners may use tools like Google Analytics or Wireshark software that inspects incoming traffic and identifies suspicious patterns, like sudden spikes in request rates in specific time intervals. Keep in mind that such behavior can also result in error code 1015 .

How to Fix Cloudflare Error 1010 as an Administrator?

If you’re a website owner who uses Cloudflare protection but has been notified of error code 1010 that denies legitimate visitor access, try these solutions.

Go to the dashboard and then to security settings. Consider lowering security levels to find a balance between optimal protection and fewer traffic restrictions. You can also turn off the browser integrity checks but also remain mindful of possible cyber threats.

Another method is modifying firewall rules. You can block or whitelist specific IPs or traffic from different geographical regions. Also, you can restrict or permit access to particular parts of your website. Keep in mind Cloudflare firewall rule violation may also produce the error 1020 code .

Lastly, you can use Cloudflare API to establish allowed traffic rules. Similar to a firewall, you can set allowed or restricted IP ranges and traffic filtering to prevent cyber attacks of web scraping.

How to Fix Cloudflare Error 1010 as a User?

You may often encounter this error while web scraping or even browsing with privacy-enhancing extensions. Some websites have stringent rules, so you may be blocked even using a legitimate setup. Try these solutions.

Use different user agents and IP addresses when scraping a specific website. It will consider data-gathering requests as coming from multiple users and will not flag your traffic for bot-like behavior. For example, at IPRoyal, we offer reliable rotating residential proxies so that you can customize IP rotation intervals to add a layer of anonymity when collecting data.

Simultaneously, residential proxies excel at bypassing geographical blocks. If you see this error message and suspect it’s because the website blocks traffic from your geographical location, connect to a proxy server in a country where it’s allowed. This way, the website protection system will think you’re browsing from there and provide unrestricted access.

Last Words

Although this error may be a result of incorrect browser setup, it may also be due to specific website rules. If the methods above do not help, consider contacting the website owners to inform them of problems. Most websites aim to accept more traffic and will investigate the issue that blocks visitors.